Cooler spacer



p 22, 1942- c. W/QUlGGLE ET AL 2,296,738

COOLER SPACER Filed Jan. 15, 1940 Patented Sept. 22, 1942 COOLER SPACER Claude W. Quiggle and Frank M. Bouchard, St. Elmo, Ala.

Application January 13, 1940, Serial No. 313,790

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to bottle coolers and has for an object to provide a spacer for such coolers which enables ready access to the most popular beverages.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a cooler spacer which may be knocked down for transportation.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a device having adjusting means to rigidly and securely retain the device in place in the cooler.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a device having interchangeable means for carrying advertising thereon.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a device which is easily installed and in which each part is easily interchanged.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following description when read in conjunction With the accompanying drawing showing an illustrative embodiment of the invention and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view showing a cooler with the spacer installed.

Figure 2 is a view showing the spacer in disassembled position.

Figure 3 is a view showing the assembled spacer ready for installation in a cooler.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the cooler shown in Figure 1 may be of the type disclosed in the Staton Patent No. 1,840,612, dated January 12, 1932, and the spacer may be installed in this or similar coolers.

As shown in Figure 2, the spacer comprises a back plate I, end plates 2 and 3 and rod supports 4 and 5 for the plates. Each of the plates I, 2 and 3 has rod receiving sockets formed thereon for the reception of the rods forming the support for the plates.

Each of the supporting rods 5 comprises a base portion 1 and these base portions 1 terminate in upstanding front and rear leg portions 8 and 8' offset from each other to receive the back and end plates I, 2 and 3. The leg portions 8 and 8' are all threaded and carry a nut 9 on which the plates rest and which may be screwed up or down to vary the height of the plates.

The end plates 2 and 3 carry suitable advertising material on their inside portion whereby same is visible when the cooler is opened and usually advertises the product contained in the spacer.

All of the plates I, 2 and 3 are of metal which permits the end plates 2 and 3 to be readily painted and repainted as the occasion requires.

If it is desired that the bottles contained in the spacer be raised in order to bemore readily accessible, a supporting platform It! is placed between the spacer. This supporting device is also made of metal and elevates short bottles to the same height as any higher ones placed alongside and renders the entire supply attractive.

The end plates 2 and 3 may be attached to rods 8' as a unit or they may be connected to back plate I by means of a connecting member II. This member I I has openings through which bolts having nuts pass into corresponding openings in the plates I, 2 and 3 and accordingly all of the plates are secured together. This arrangement, however, does not affect the simplicity of, the device as the bolts I2 may be easily detached and the plates separately withdrawn.

With further reference to the end plates 2 and 3, it will be noted that they terminate in rounded portions 13 on the inside while the outside are flanged in tapering form as shown at M. The. reason for these flanged and rounded portions is. to eliminate the chances of cutting the hands when removing a bottle from the cooler spacer.

The spacer in its assembled form is placed in a. cooler whereby the back plate I defines one end of the spacer while the end wall defines the other end. If short bottles are placed within the spacer, use of the platform [0 is resorted to. In this way the top of the short bottles are easily visible near the cooler opening. The upper ends of the plates 2 and 3 are such that they may fit under a bead in the upper portion of a coller box.

The advantages of this spacer are numerous. It makes certain that the short bottle of a company using the spacer will have an equal chance for selling their merchandise. It allows the tops of the bottles to be shown and making them conspicuous to prospective buyers and assures that the short bottles will not be covered over by crushed ice or large bottles. Certain beverages are, as a rule, more in demand than others and the present spacer permits these popular beverages to be easily found and easily replenished. It eliminates the hunting around for certain beverages which means that the cooler will be open to the atmosphere a shorter time and thereby save ice or electricity.

The spacer is economical to manufacture and easily attached or detached from the cooler and serves as an effective advertising medium for the product contained in the spacer.

If desired, plates [5 may be supported on end plates 2 and 3 when these plates are in raised position. These plates I5 have rolled upper edges and hang on the corresponding rolled edges of plates 2 and 3 and prevent ice from entering the spacer.

Various minor changes may be made in the physical embodiment of the invention Without departing from the spirit of the invention, within the scope of the appended claim.

What we claim is:

A spacer for a bottle cooler comprising a base having upstanding front and rear leg portions, a second base in opposed relation to the first base and also having front and rear leg portions, a back plate having sockets, end plates each having a socket, said rear legs of each base adapted to fit the sockets of the back plate and supported thereon and said front leg portions adapted to fit in each of said sockets of the end plates to be supported thereon, and means for adjusting said plates vertically of the legs of said bases, said bases resting upon the bottom of the cooler and supporting the back plate in spaced parallel relation to one of the side walls of the cooler, whereby the back plate cooperates with the end plates and said side walls of the cooler to form a com- 10 partment of generally rectangular shape in said 

